M.S.Islam
Director
Wheat Research Centre, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), Nashipur, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
M.N.A. Akhand
International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture,
P.O.Box 14660, Dubai, UAE
M.A.R. Akanda
Principal Scientific Officer
IWM Division, BARI
Out of 2.83x106 ha coastal area of Bangladesh, about 1.0x106 ha is suffering from various levels of salinity. In dry seasons, soil salinity increases and hence the entire coastal saline belt remains fallow. Considering this, International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture jointly with Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute initiated a project to grow cash and forage crops using irrigation and water management technologies in the coastal saline soils. In 2007-2008, an initial pilot assessment was made and basic soil properties were determined in Satkhira District, where soil salinity (ECc 11dS m-1) was recorded in dry months. Tomato, cowpea, and barley were used as test crops and harvested rainwater was used for irrigation. Tomato crop with drip irrigation on mulched raised beds produced 3.13-3.36 times more than control treatment. A net return was obtained 5.76-5.92 times more than control treatment. The hosepipe irrigation in mulched raised bed gives net return about 5.84-6.00 times more than control treatment. Fodder crops were also found profitable. The net returns of cowpea and barely were about 4.00-4.23 and 2.11-2.60 times more than control environment, respectively. The study indicates that saline coastal land has the potential for crop and fodder cultivations through proper irrigation and soil management practices.
Bangladesh, Coastal land, Fodder, Raised beds, Tomato
Coastal Saline Area of Bangladesh
Crop-Soil-Water Management
The specific objectives were undertaken to initiate a project to grow cash and forage crops using irrigation and water management technologies in the coastal saline soils of Bangladesh.
The information on testing site and treatments was undertaken based on coastel saline soils in Bangladesh. Standard soil and water testing procedures were followed. Major cultivated crops include rice, jute, sugarcane, mustard, potato, and onion and betel leaf in non-saline and low saline areas. In this study, tomato was selected as the cash crop and cowpea and barely was selected as forage crops. Both raised bed and flatland plantations were tested. The crops are irrigated by cans from existing pond or canal waters. Other irrigation methods included drip and hosepipe irrigation.
All the management aspects were arranged in the following treatments in Doulatpur and Kulia:
T1= Drip irrigation in raised bed with mulch
T2= Drip irrigation in raised bed without mulch
T3= Hosepipe irrigation in raise bed with mulch
T4= Hosepipe irrigation in raise bed without mulch
T5= Can irrigation in flatland without mulch
Shallow tube well water having salinity 1.0-1.5 dS m-1 (fresh water) was used for tomato irrigation.
Treatment for cowpea and Barley at Doulatpur
T6= Hosepipe irrigation with fresh water in raised bed at 7 day interval
T7= Hosepipe irrigation with fresh water in raised bed at 7 day interval
T8= Hosepipe irrigation with fresh water in flatland at 7 day interval
T9= Hosepipe irrigation with fresh water in flatland at 7 day interval
Treatments for cowpea and barley and Kulia
T10= Hosepipe irrigation with saline water in raised bed at 7 days interval
T11= Hosepipe irrigation with saline water in raised bed at 7 days interval
T12= Hosepipe irrigation with saline water in flatland at 7 days interval
T13= Hosepipe irrigation with saline water in flatland at 7 days interval
For barley and cowpea, irrigation was accomplished by using canal water (salinity 4.0-4.5 dSm-1) by pipe irrigation on interval basis.
Developments in Soil Salinity Assessment and Reclamation 2013, pp 497-520
From the study, it is concluded that both the cash and fodder crops can be grown in lands having ECe <12 dS m-1 covering about 770000 ha in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Soil and water management practices such as drip irrigation in raised bed with mulch and hosepipe irrigation in raised bed with mulch were more profitable than traditional practice for tomato production. Fodders (cowpea and barley) (<6.5 dS m-1) cultivation was also found profitable (benefit-cost ratios: 2.51-2.62 for cowpea and 3.17-3.82 for barley). Since the management technologies had been tested in small areas, these should also be evaluated with regard to scaling-up of such technologies in the greater coastal belt.
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